The swim takes place in the pristine waters of Lake Minneola. Lake Minneola is the third largest lake in the Clermont Chain of Lakes and has been designated "Outstanding Florida Waters" by the State of Florida.

The average water temperature for mid to late October is typically 76-78. The average depth of Lake Minneola is less than 20 feet so the water temperature can fluctuate greatly due to extreme weather conditions.

Wetsuit use is in accordance with USAT rules. In all but three of the past 24 years, the water temperature has been 78 or below, making the race "wetsuit legal".

The Great Floridian Swim Course is rectangular and is a two-lap course for the 2.4 mile swimmers. The GFT 1/3 Distance swimmers will swim a .8 mile course.

The Great Floridian Bike Course takes place on the rural country roads of South Lake County. While most people assume all of Florida is flat, the GFT is in the hilly sand ridge section of Florida so you'll find gently rolling hills throughout the course. The course is often said to be challenging, especially by Florida standards, but with proper gearing you can breeze through the course.

The 112 mile course is a three loop course. This year all three laps are identical and each lap will travel up Sugarloaf Mountain. The GFT 1/3 Distance race will only complete one lap of the 37 mile bike course. Each lap of the bike has three support stations along the course. The 112 mile cyclists will also have a special needs station with support at the end of laps 1 & 2. Each support station will have water, gatorade, and bananas.

The GFT run course is a scenic out and back course on the South Lake Trail. The GFT 140.6 marathon course is a three lap course, while the GFT 1/3 Distance will only complete one lap of the course. The scenic course is completely on the South Lake Trail and is mostly flat. The course is very spectator friendly allowing spectators at Waterfront Park to cheer the 26.2 mile runners on six times before the finish.

Support stations are located approximately every mile and are stocked with water, Gatorade, ice, cola, fruit, cookies, salty snacks, broth (after dark, and more. A run special needs station is located at the park and 26.2 mile runners have the ability to access it multiple times during the race.

All support stations are staffed by local community groups and are themed.